PRE-GAME RANT

After the desert dogs stole a win in our house, the Oil look to return the favor. Less than a week ago the Oilers led at home 3-0 by the Coyotes clawed their way back with 3 unanswered goals of their own to force overtime and eventually take the win in a shootout. Many Oilers have had their fathers accompanying the team on the short road trip and it seems to have worked so far after a road win in Ananheim. Another win, and they may have to hire them on permanently.Continue reading 'GDT: Oilers 0, Coyotes 5 – Game 20 – 2010-11-23 @ 7:00 PM – TSN'»

PRE-GAME RANT

Tonight the Oil face the Coyotes at Rexall. The Coyotes come in fairly hot, with a 4 game winning streak. The Oilers are winless in 5 and are 2nd last in the league (since they have a game in hand on the Islanders). So there’s a good guess how this one will go.

PRE-GAME RANT

So the Oilers are 3-0 so far, heading into this one. Can they keep their record perfect tonight? I sure as hell hope so, as Trogdor and I are going to the game tonight (thank you, OG77). Tonight we’ll get our first pre-season taste of Magnus Paajarvi on the top line with Ales Hemsky, and Sam Gagner. I have to admit… I’m pretty excited about this. Both of these guys play a pretty similar game, but from what I’ve seen, Paajarvi also brings a good ability to snipe as well. I thought the two would make a great powerplay complement for that reason, so let’s see how things work for them over an entire game.

Liam Reddox and Ryan Jones seem to be in a battle for that last slot on the wing with Colin Fraser and Zack Stortini, and tonight they’ll have a bit of a tête-à-tête. My money is on Reddox to come out on top by the start of the season. Word is, Tom Renney is pretty keen on Reddox, however management has a lot of love for Jones. In the end, the player that Renney wants is the player that stays. I just think it’s impossible to deny the heart Liam has shown right now along with an incomprehensible sudden ability to bowl people over with that small frame.

The second line of Penner-Cogliano-Brule has quietly been good as well, so look for a strong game from the trio.

I haven’t seen the Coyotes line-up just yet, but they are 4-2 so far this pre-season (they are coming off 2 straight losses, however). I really hope that they give the Oilers a run for their money, as amidst all the optimism and flash of these young kids, this team has barely been tested. Even the normally sweaty Khabibulin barely sipped one of his sweat beads in the last game.

This one is a tough one to call, but being that I’m at the game and I’m hoping for a good one, I’ll say 4-3 Oil in OT.

POST-GAME RANT

It’s a different experience being at the game. You catch things you don’t see on TV, but you miss a lot of other stuff. It looked like a game where the bubble guys came out to play. In particular Giroux and Jones stood out a bit for me. Jones was a thorn in the Coyotes side and drew a penalty playing that way. Giroux looked good for most of the night, at least in the offensive zone. He isn’t a guy that can seemingly do much aside from shoot pucks in the net, however… although that is definitely a good talent to have. But the NHL game requires more from all players.

Paajarvi seemed to turn over the puck quite a bit tonight from what I saw, trying too much. But from what I understand, he also drew several penalties with his shiftiness and quickness.

Petiot again seemed to have a stand out game, and even wallpapered someone just in front of Trogdor and I. I loved seeing Plante drop Kyle Turris, even though he took a penalty.. but it was a nice show of strength there anyways. Chorney probably shocked all of us with his big open ice hit and then fighting the first person he saw after being blind-sided.

Gerber.. well, I thought he was scary to watch. Wanders too much for me, and didn’t really inspire confidence as I hoped he would. Speculation, BTW, is that the Oilers have now made their choice for backup. Guys like Rishaug and Gregor figure we won’t see more JDD or Dubnyk this pre-season as they don’t want to showcase them for a waiver claim. I’m not sure if they meant Deslauriers in particular only, or what. But we’ll see.

Next up, Calgary on Friday. The game is at 7:00 on Sportsnet One and I will be there again.

PRE-GAME RANT

The Oilers head into Arizona tonight to conclude their road trip with a game against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena. The Oilers are winless on this road trip so far, and have lost the last 4 games. The Coyotes have dropped 4 of their last 5 games, having cooled off a bit after climbing the standings quite handily. They will look to bounce back against a team that hasn’t really had much of anything go right for them this year.

PRE-GAME RANT

The Oilers are coming off a very poor performance in Colorado in which Deslauriers kept the score as close as it was. The previous game was a loss against the Wild after two wins (vs. Philadelphia and Carolina). The Coyotes were blanked 4-0 vs. the Stars on Saturday, but their previous six games were win. The two teams have had opposite looking seasons this year. The Oilers are 2-7-1 in the last 10 games while the Coyotes are 7-3-0. The Oilers are 18-33-6 on the year and the Coyotes are nearly the inverse at 35-19-5. This is another good example of a team that has gone through tough years but is seeing the fruits of their labour. With any luck, the Oilers will see the same turnaround soon.

User

Next Oilers Game

Tonight's Games

Support the Foil

[ Amazon.com (UNITED STATES) link ]Putting On The Foil is a participant in the Amazon.ca and .com, Inc. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.ca and Amazon.com. This site does not earn a profit, and all money earned is used to help lower the cost of hosting fees.

Recent Comments:

- chucker: We have had a few changes since this was written. Some guys at rookie camp really impressed. Yakimov in...

- dawgtoy: If MacT stays busy working the phones, calling the likes of Chi/Phi/Bos/Dal, something is bound to shake...

- Racki: I think the salary looks close enough for Petry and Schultz. If you subtract Klefbom and Nurse plus...

- Racki: Maybe he’ll be in the Hall one day… 😛 Unlikely, but I suppose you never know, for his undying...

- hemmerlady: Agreed about the rafters, Ktown. I was a sobbing mess, myself. Seeing Smytty so emotional, the...

- Ktown: Been awhile since I came past here, but finally saw this post. Agreed 100%, especially the #94 in the...